Chapter Two: The X-Men
They arrived at the gates of a huge mansion. By the gates was a large plaque that read "Professor Xavier's School for the Gifted." Much to Lumina's surprise, the man was able to open the gates by way of retinal scan and saying his name, Logan.
"Well, kid," the man named Logan said as the gates silently opened. "You ready to meet some interesting people?"
"Are they all like you?" she asked hesitantly. He grinned at her question.
"In a way, I guess." He shrugged. "Not exactly, no, but they'll be interested in meeting you." He got back on the bike and restarted it. They drove up the long driveway and drew closer to the expansive mansion. In the dark, it appeared to loom over them. "What do you think?" Logan asked over his shoulder.
"It's big." Was her only response. She felt rather than heard him chuckle, due to the muffling of the helmet she was wearing. He drove the bike into a garage and parked it. He helped her off the bike and took the helmet from her. "Now what?" she asked as she looked around at all the nice cars.
"First, we introduce you to Chuck, but he probably already knows that you're here." He started heading for the door that led into the mansion.
"How does he…"
"Come on, you'll see." He cut her off. She followed him and they walked down some well-decorated hallways. "I didn't really like this place when I first came here, but it kinda grew on me."
"Hmm.." She said as she looked at some painting hanging on the wall. Over the group of paintings was a handwritten sign that read "Art Class Artwork." She scrunched her nose and realized that this mansion was actually the school, (the sign at the gates gave it away), but there was something odd about it, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. "Logan, won't this 'Chuck' be asleep?"
"Nah," he waved his hand in the air, dismissing the thought. "Even if he was, he would want to wake up." They walked past some stairs and stopped in front of a set of beautifully carved wooden double doors. "This is it." Logan turned the knobs of both doors and opened them simultaneously. When they opened, Lumina looked up and saw a bald man sitting behind a desk. When he rolled around the desk in a wheelchair, Lumina realized he didn't have any choice but to sit. "Professor, this is Lumina." Logan introduced her.
"Hello, Lumina," the professor said. "I've heard a lot about you."
"How do you…" Lumina was taken aback. The professor held out some newspaper articles from a few days before.
"There are some interesting articles in there about a young woman causing some problems in her campus science lab." The professor looked at her knowingly.
"I didn't do that on purpose…"
"I know, Lumina…We haven't been formally introduced. My name's Professor Charles Xavier. I run this school for the gifted."
"You mean for mutants like me."
"Like us." Logan spoke up from his seat he had taken in a plush chair by the door.
"This place is a safe-haven for people with extraordinary powers. We help them learn to cope with their abilities and even learn to use them for the good of mankind."
"Look, I don't mean to be rude, but what has this got to do with me?"
"To be perfectly honest, we think that you could be a useful member to our team. You see, we've been following your movements for a while, but we never could quite figure out what your powers were. The newspapers and our scouts never actually saw you in action."
"Until I did, anyway." Logan quipped.
"May I see a demonstration?"
"Okay…I suppose." Lumina held out her hand, forming the tiny ball of light once more.
"Is it destructive?" Xavier inquired.
"Not unless I mean it to be." She wrinkled her nose in thought. "It's hard to explain…"
"You don't have to explain tonight." Xavier cut her off. "Logan, why don't you see her to a room, and tomorrow morning go with her to get any of her belongings that might've been left behind in your hasty escape." The burly man nodded, and motioned for her to go with him out of the room.
"'Night, Chuck." Logan said as he walked out of the room.
"Goodnight, Logan, and goodnight, Lumina. Make yourself at home and stay as long as you like."
"Goodnight." Lumina said simply as she followed Logan out the door. She continued to follow him up the stairs they had past earlier and down a some hallways. He stopped in front of door number 121. "Is this it?"
"Yup." Logan opened the door and walked inside. "Looks like you have the place to yourself, but that'll probably change really soon."
"Hm…"
"Something wrong?" Logan cocked his head slightly.
"No, it's just I don't understand something." Lumina said as she looked around the room. "What did the professor mean by me being a 'useful member of the team?'"
"Well, to tell you the truth, the school is kinda just a cover up."
"For?"
"For an elite mutant group called the 'X-Men.'"
"I've heard of you in the tabloids." Lumina started examining the knick-knacks on the ornate dresser. "They say that you all fight for good, but are slandered because you're not 'normal.'"
"Yeah, that's about the size of it."
"And you guys think I can help."
"Yup." Logan sighed and made a move to leave the room. "Look, I'll stop by tomorrow to take you back to…wherever it is that you live, and we'll get your stuff. However, if you decide you don't wanna do this, you don't have to. Just sleep on it." He reached the door and stopped. He turned around to face her and looked her straight in the eye. "You can meet some of the guys tomorrow at breakfast. Starts at nine. Be ready to go by then, okay?"
"Alright." She said.
"See you in the morning." He turned and left the room, closing the door behind him. Lumina heaved a tired sigh and sat down on the plush bed.
An important member of the team, huh? I guess I'll find out more tomorrow at breakfast. She took off her shoes and her jean jacket. She looked at herself in the mirror and realized how grimy she felt. She went to the bathroom connected to her room and searched for a hairbrush. After rummaging around in the drawers for a few minutes, she found almost everything she could possibly need, including the hairbrush. As she she brushed her hair, she hummed the lullaby that her mother used to sing to her before she died, singing the words silently in her head. Her hair was a silky dark brown, with lighter brown and blonde streaks in it. Her eyes were a deep emerald green, though they were dulled a little due to her lack of sleep. She finished brushing her hair and got into bed. Within seconds of her head hitting the down pillow, she was alseep, still singing the lullaby in her head, and into her dreams.
